There is no simple way to sum up my life since college. Unlike a lot of physical therapy students, I didn't take the traditional path. In fact it may have been the least efficient way to achieve a DPT degree. But looking back, as cliché as it may sound, Read More...

I completed my final day of clinical... ever. I'll never have to sign "SPT" again. I won't need to have notes cosigned. And I will never, ever fill out a self-assessment of clinical skills again. I feel like I suddenly grew up, got kicked out of the house, Read More...

With one week left until graduation, I had my most challenging patient-care conversation since starting PT school. One of my current patients, whom I happened to work with in inpatient rehabilitation during my previous clinical rotation, is a very complex Read More...

I'm happy to report that my interview went well enough to yield the ultimate goal -- a job offer! I got two calls on Tuesday (April Fool's Day), one at work and one on my cell phone, however managed to miss both. Not my best performance, but maybe I would Read More...

I sat for my first interview on Friday. I was sweating the entire time. I wore a scarf and had to take it off. I usually don't get very nervous for interviews, but for some reason when the interviewer started to go through the benefits packages, I started Read More...

Well, it's about time to start seriously considering what in the world I'm going to do with my life (and where). Anyone who can count their time to graduation in weeks is likely feeling the same way. With exactly four weeks left until I finish my clinical Read More...

I'll write this post as a warning to PT students who have a lengthy clinical rotation leading up to graduation. If you're like me, you'll find yourself six weeks from graduation and realize that you haven't taken much time off since you started the rotation. Read More...

I was having a conversation with a fellow classmate about interacting with patients outside the clinic, and we got to wondering about what's allowed and not allowed. In the particular case that we were talking about, my friend ran into a patient over Read More...

At Pitt, we have certain "benchmarks" that our program has assembled to guide us through the yearlong clinical. As the months roll on, there's an expectation that we will try our hands at role reversal and mentor younger PT students on their journey to Read More...

For the first time ever, I'm treating a patient who returned for repeat therapy after being discharged a month or so ago. This patient, who is impaired following an anoxic brain injury and transfemoral amputation, has been through the medical ringer in Read More...

I can count the number of weeks I have left on two hands. I've passed the boards. I have one project left, one presentation, and one in-service. All of a sudden, everything seems so quantifiable. I even got the information for purchasing my cap, gown Read More...

I finally received word on Friday that I passed the boards. The West Virginia Board of Physical Therapy sent me a letter, snail-mail style, to inform me that I can sleep soundly and stop worrying. A word of wisdom for anyone preparing to take the exam Read More...

I had my first evaluation via interpreter this week, leaving me certain that I'll attempt to learn Spanish when I'm done with school. There are a few things that I realized when the interpreter was translating the eval. First of all, interview "cadence" Read More...

I have 60 hours left between now and when I take my seat at the testing center to begin the National Physical Therapy Exam, otherwise known as the "boards," the reason I've lost all social skills, and why I can't remember the last time I had a beer. If Read More...

Just over a week ago, I had my first experience with an incident report. All in all, it wasn't a big deal. A patient of mine with T11 paraplegia was attempting to stand from his wheelchair to complete a 10-meter walk test. As it turns out, his brakes Read More...